busyglen

I've just come across this item which I collected several years ago whilst building a website, and it seemed unbelievable at the time. It was in the Local Newspaper:

9th July 1859

Tempest in Sheppey

On Sunday morning last, about 1 o'clock, a violent thunderstorm, accompanied by vivid flashes of lightning, passed over the Isle of Sheppey; heavy rain accompanied the storm, and the heavy crops of corn in many places were knocked down. An elderly man, in the Coast Guard service, named Robert Burchart, when between Leysdown and Shellness stations, was struck by the lightning on the back of the neck; the fluid appears to have passed down his watch guard to his watch, from thence down his legs into his boots, rending and setting fire to his clothes in its passage. The poor fellow fell senseless; his boots were rent to pieces, his watch guard and glass entirely disappeared, and one of the shattered boots was found several yards from the body. Another Coast Guardsman, named Thomas Nodes, happened to come from an opposite direction and found his injured comrade lying on the ground, his clothes burning, and pistol cartridges in pocket, which latter must have shortly ignited. The small box in which the cartridges are kept, and one of which Burchart had in his possession, was split in pieces, but fortunately without setting fire to the cartridges. The Coast Guardsman, Nodes, immediately proceeded to assist the injured man, Burchart, and while doing so, was himself twice struck by the lightning slightly, but fortunately without being seriously hurt. The poor fellow who was first struck, was found to be very much burned, but is likely to recover.